Nina
by Flitter-Flutter
Summary: A series of oneshots concerning Ed and Al's time at the Tucker's house with Nina.
1. Angels

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, Nina would have lived.**

Edward lay stretched out on the sofa in the Tuckers' living room, his eyes scanning the pages of a book. Alphonse was out walking Alexander, and Tucker was down in his lab.

Nina, having no one else to play with or talk to, came and lay on the floor by the couch, gazing up at the ceiling with her wide, blue eyes.

"Little Big Brother," she said at length, folding her hands on her stomach. "Do you believe in angels?"

Edward, distracted from his reading, swiftly marked his place and closed the book. Sitting up, he yawned, stretching. "Not particularly. Why do you ask?"

"If there aren't any angels," Nina persisted, her eyes never shifting their gaze, "do you suppose we just…go away when we die?"

Edward shook his head. "I'm not sure what happens after we die. We go somewhere, I know that."

He grasped his right shoulder with his gloved left hand, feeling the hardness of the metal through the fabric of his glove and his shirt. "One thing I know for sure, though. When you're dead, you're dead. You can never come back."

"Oh." Nina frowned in thought. "Do you think that angels are people who died? Or are they not people, but something else entirely?"

She sat up suddenly, her face showing excitement as she had a new thought.

"Or maybe," she said, "maybe angels are people who are still alive, and they're so kind and good that no one can hate them? They're good people who help others out."

"Given that criteria, Nina," said Edward, smiling slightly, "that would make you an angel, wouldn't it?"

Nina giggled, her brown braids swaying as she lay back down to gaze at the ceiling again.

"I'm not an angel," she said. Her eyes turned to Edward. "But do you suppose that I could be one if I tried hard enough?"

Edward nodded. "I don't see why not."

Nina rolled over on her stomach, scooting so she was facing Edward.

"Little Big Brother," she said, "do you believe in God?"

"No," he said flatly, lying back down on the couch.

"Why not?" She stared at him, her curious eyes demanding an answer.

Edward groaned. How could he explain this to her? "You can't prove he exists by any scientific means. And if he did…he wouldn't have allowed some bad things to have happened."

"Oh." Nina frowned. "But do you believe in souls?"

"Of course I do!" he replied immediately.

"Can you prove souls exist?"

He studied her eyes, wondering what it was that was prompting such questions from her. All he found was innocent curiosity.

"If there was no God," she continued, "why would there be souls? Where would they come from?"

Edward frowned in annoyance when he found he didn't have an answer.

"And why would people be good? If they thought they could get away with it, wouldn't they do just about anything?"

She frowned slightly.

"Maybe, there's a devil who causes bad things to happen. Maybe, God works through good people to make the bad things a little less bad."

She smiled again. "Maybe, he works through angels."

"I don't know," Edward said stubbornly. "I still don't think he exists."

Reaching for his book, he opened it back to the place he had marked. The conversation with Nina still ran through his mind, and he found he couldn't read a word.


	2. Sparring

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, this scene would be in it.**

The written exam was still a few weeks away. Edward and Alphonse had been studying tirelessly, and now knew a lot more about Alchemy than they had ever learned, from their dabbling as small children, or from their teacher, or even from the binge of hard studying before their attempt to bring their mother back.

However, when they had been with their teacher, she had taught them something important besides Alchemy; something they had forgotten.

It was Alphonse who finally remembered it.

One day, as the boys sat in front of their desk, taking long notes from even longer books, Alphonse suddenly sat straight up and slapped his pencil down on the desk.

Edward looked up at his younger brother. "Something wrong, Al?"

"I just remembered something, Brother," Alphonse said. His tinny voice had taken on a note of mild irritation.

"What is it?"

"_To train the mind, you must first train the body,_" Alphonse quoted.

Edward understood in an instant.

"Shoot, you're right!" He jumped up from his chair and headed for the door. "Come on, Al, if we don't start sparring again, we'll _never_ survive as State Alchemists!"

The snow was still thick on the ground, except in areas where the boys, Nina, and Alexander had played a whole lot. The angels they'd made were still imprinted in the cold snow; the beginnings of a snow fort, the transmutation circle with which Edward had made what Nina liked to call "magic flowers". Edward and Alphonse ignored these for now.

The boys stood at opposite ends of the yard, each of them in a fighter's stance.

"You ready, Al?" Edward challenged, holding his right arm out in front of him.

"Yep."

Edward ran towards Alphonse and jumped up. His foot connected with Al's chest plate; Alphonse raised a fist and lunged it at his brother. Edward jumped back, dodging the blow and countering with his right arm.

The boys carried on in this manner for a time, until Nina came outside. When she saw what they were doing, the four year-old's eyes widened with horror.

"BIG BROTHERS!" she cried with dismay. "Why are you guys fighting? It's not nice! Stop it!"

Startled, the brothers turned and looked at her; there were tears streaming down her face.

"Why are you fighting?" she demanded again.

Edward and Alphonse looked at each other, and then back at her, wondering how they should explain it to her. Finally, Alphonse spoke.

"We were just…" he paused, trying to find the right words. "You see, a long time ago, our teacher told us that in order to train the mind, we must train the body."

"Train the body?" she repeated, sniffling and wiping one of her eyes with a small hand.

"Yeah. We have to become strong." Alphonse flexed his right arm. "And we get strong by pretending to fight."

Edward nodded. "You see, Nina, we're about to become State Alchemists. We're going to be doing dangerous stuff. And, sometimes, we might run into someone who wants to hurt us, or people we care about, and when that happens, where would we be if we couldn't even throw a decent punch?"

Nina frowned in thought, as their words sunk in. "Oh."

Edward and Alphonse sighed, relieved that she wasn't upset at them anymore.

"Big Brothers?" she asked suddenly. "You aren't _planning _on meeting people who want to hurt you, are you?"

"No, no, nothing like that," they protested. "We just have to be prepared, is all!"

"Oh." That made perfect sense to her. Suddenly, her face broke into a smile.

"Big Brothers? Can I pretend to fight too?"


	3. Hot Cocoa

**This is one of my oldest Fullmetal Alchemist fanfictions...I actually got the idea while watching all the happy scenes of Nina, Ed, and Al playing in the end credits of Episode 7. (How cruel of them, to remind us of how happy we _were_ right after what happened happened...So cruel...sniff...)**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own FMA. Just playing with it.**

"Big Brothers!" cried Nina, running into Ed and Al's room. Ed and Al were studying, but Nina interrupting never bothered them. They turned around to see what she was excited about.

"Hey, Nina," said Al kindly, as he and Ed stared in surprise at what Nina was holding.

Nina was awkwardly carrying a tray that seemed altogether too large for her short arm span. On top of the tray were three steaming mugs of hot cocoa.

"I made it for you," she said, smiling brightly. "I made one for Daddy too, but he didn't need any. Told me I could drink it myself, if I wanted."

Though she smiled, Nina's voice sounded sad at her father's rejection. Gingerly, she set the tray on the floor, and then both of them picked up their hot cocoa.

As Ed sipped his, he almost spat it back out for the taste.

"I like lots of sugar in mine," said Nina sweetly, "and I thought you would too."

Forcing a grin although the drink was altogether too sugary for him, he nodded. "It's great, Nina."

And he hurriedly downed the entire beverage.

Nina beamed at him, and then looked at Alphonse, who had left his cocoa on the tray.

"Bigger Brother," she scolded, "you should drink your cocoa before it gets cold! It doesn't taste good cold."

Ed and Al exchanged glances.

_Oh, brother…_


	4. Fever and Chicken Soup

**Yup. Adding another chapter to this story that no one seems to be reviewing…Oh well, those of you who read it, you still have my thanks :)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, I would still stick up these disclaimers just to confuse people. But I don't. Oh well. You still get disclaimers! **

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_After the birth, we dove into our alchemy books with new determination. We were going to pass the exams, and put things back the way they were.—Alphonse Elric_

The boys had been studying hard over the past several months. Books that had once sat on the shelves in Tucker's reference room, gathering dust, could now be seen all over the mansion. Sometimes, Nina would go into the kitchen to pour herself a drink, and would find stacks of books piled on the kitchen table, and notes scrawled in the boys' handwriting. The times that had happened, Nina had promptly found the boys and told them to clean up their mess in the kitchen; they needed to _eat _at that table, so after two or three times it never happened again.

But evidence of their studying could still be found elsewhere; on the coffee table in the living room, more books, and more notes, and by the doorway next to their room, still another stack of books, and still more on the boys' desk. It seemed the boys had books for wherever they went in the house, so that they could always study. Anxiety was piling high; the exams were in a week.

Early one morning, Nina entered the living room to find Edward asleep on one of the armchairs. His hand lay over a book that was opened across his lap, and his head lay awkwardly against one of the armrests. His blond bangs concealed his face, and he snored. His snoring sounded a bit wrong to Nina, but she wasn't sure why.

"Little Big Brother?" she asked, approaching him. "Did you fall asleep reading again? You should've been in bed."

Her words fell on deaf ears; he was too deep in slumber to hear her.

"Little Big Brother?" she asked again, putting her small hands on his shoulder and gently shaking him. She was pretty sure he wouldn't awaken—he was fast asleep, and he tended to be a heavy sleeper, unless someone besides her called him "little". But to her surprise, he awoke, lifting his head from the armrest groggily and looking about him in a dazed fashion.

"Big Brother Ed?" said Nina. Edward's golden eyes turned towards her, and he smiled sleepily.

"Hey…Nina," he said, his voice sounding slightly hoarse.

She frowned. "Are you okay, Little Big Brother?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, sitting up and clumsily shutting the book. "Why shouldn't I be…"

Nina nodded towards the book. "Did you read all night again?"

"Uh…" Edward stretched his arms and yawned. "Yeah, I did…"

"You shouldn't do that, Little Big Brother!" she scolded, her hands on her hips. "It's not good for you. You can hurt your eyes."

Edward sighed and wearily rose to his feet. "I'm sorry. I'm just so worried about this test…"

Suddenly, he lost his balance and fell back on the chair. Nina stared at him, her wide blue eyes showing concern.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he insisted, but he sounded a little less sure of himself. "I'm just a bit dizzy…"

Nina reached up and put her hand on his forehead.

"Oh, brother, you're sick," she declared, closing her eyes and pulling her hand away. "You have a fever."

"A…fever?" Edward asked, frowning slightly. He almost never got sick; surely this was just tiredness, wasn't it?

"Your head's hot," she said. "Feel it yourself."

Incredulous, Edward touched his left hand to his forehead, and although he didn't feel anything different, when he pulled his hand away it was damp with perspiration.

His vision blurred slightly, and he realized he was starting to have a headache.

Nina grasped his right hand in her own and dragged him up out of the chair, leading him across the room to the sofa.

"Lie down," she ordered, putting on as bossy a face as she could muster. "Lie down and go to sleep."

Though he wanted to argue, Edward found he was too tired to. Following the little girl's instructions, he lay down on the couch, and before he even knew it, was fast asleep. Nina brushed his bangs out of his face and frowned.

"How do you take care of a sick person?" she wondered aloud.

Just then, she heard the sound of Alphonse's metal boots coming down the stairs; a few moments later he entered the living room.

"Hey Nina," he remarked, "you're up a bit early."

Nina stared up at him.

"Bigger Brother," she said, "Little Big Brother's sick. What should we do?"

"Sick?" Alphonse turned his helmet to look at his sleeping brother. "Sick how?"

"He got a fever," Nina explained, "and he said he was dizzy."

"Oh." Alphonse nodded in understanding. "Poor Brother…"

Edward frowned in his sleep. Alphonse and Nina stared at him for a moment longer, and then looked at each other.

"I don't know what to do," Alphonse said, very frankly.

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Gracia sat quietly on the sofa, humming as she gently rocked her infant daughter in her arms.

Content that the baby was finally asleep, Gracia stood to put her in her crib.

_Ring! Ring!_

The telephone went off, and, much to Gracia's irritation, startled Elicia awake.

_Oh dear,_ she thought with annoyance, walking over to the phone. Balancing Elicia with one arm, she carefully lifted the phone from the receiver with her free hand and spoke into the mouthpiece.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Hughes?"

Gracia was more than a little surprised that she was hearing Nina's voice.

"Hello, Nina," she said, smiling, her irritation forgotten. "How are things?"

"Little Big Brother's sick," the little girl's voice said. Gracia's eyes widened slightly.

"Sick? Sick how?"

"His foreheads burning, he said he was dizzy, and he's breathing funny."

Gracia balanced the phone on one shoulder and adjusted her hold on the wriggling Elicia. "'Breathing funny'?"

"It sounds like _hhhhh_-huh, _hhhhh-_huh," Nina clarified.

"Hmm." Gracia frowned in thought. "Sounds like something the Mr. Hughes had recently. Is your father or Al there?"

"Al's here."

"Okay, Nina, be sure to pass this on to Al. Make sure Ed gets plenty of rest. Put a damp washcloth on his forehead; that should help with the fever some. I'll drop by later and cook some chicken noodle soup, if that's okay."

"Okay," Nina replied.

"I understand that test is in a week, correct?"

There was a pause on the other end; the slight sounds of two children—Nina and Al—conversing with each other. Finally Nina's voice came back.

"Yes, Mrs. Hughes, it is."

Gracia sighed. "Okay, then. Ed will kill me for this, but I will say it anyway. For heaven's sake, keep him _away _from his books for a few days, or he'll study himself to death."

There was another pause, as Nina told Alphonse everything Gracia had told her.

"Okay, Mrs. Hughes, thank you!" said Nina.

"Your very welcome," the woman replied.

"Bye!" Gracia heard the _click!_ on the other end. Smiling and shaking her head, she hung up the phone as well.

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Edward drifted in and out of consciousness; he couldn't tell which was which. There was something cold on his brow, and he could hear a small voice chattering and fussing over him, although he couldn't make out the words. Small hands closed around his.

It wasn't until he heard another voice that he finally opened his eyes.

"Are you feeling better, Brother?"

Edward stared up, confused, to find both Nina and Alphonse peering down at him.

"He's awake," Nina said unnecessarily.

Edward frowned and, putting his hand to his forehead, realized someone had put a wet cloth there. "What time is it?"

"You've been sleeping all day, Brother," said Alphonse. "I came in here to find Nina worrying over you."

"It's after five," Nina declared. "Mrs. Hughes came by earlier and made some soup. Do you want to eat it now?"

Without waiting for an answer, she dashed off into the kitchen.

"I should be studying…" Edward said doubtfully. _I've lost a whole day!_

"Oh, no you don't, Brother," said Alphonse sternly. "You've been overworking yourself and studying nights! That must be one of the reasons you got sick."

Edward sat up abruptly, the cloth falling off his face, and nearly fell back from the dizziness the movement caused.

"Well, you have too, Al," he pointed out.

"But my body doesn't tire," Alphonse said, "and I _can't _sleep, so I don't have to worry about such things. You're the one who needs to take better care of yourself."

"But…" Edward started protesting, but Nina came back in, holding a steaming bowl of soup between her hands.

"Here's your soup, Little Big Brother," she said. Taking the spoon out of the bowl, she held it out to him. "Eat it or you won't get your strength back."

Unable to complain, Edward took the soup from her and began slowly eating it. He had to admit to himself that the sensation of the hot liquid flowing down his throat and into his empty stomach made him feel a lot better.

And more tired.

"I guess I can't fight it," he said, resignedly, as he handed the now-empty soup bowl back to Nina and lay back down.

"Yeah," said Alphonse. "Get some more rest, Brother. Hopefully you'll feel better tomorrow."

Edward didn't try to resist as his eyelids closed on their own. Presently he began snoring.

Nina and Alphonse watched as he slept.

"He'll be okay," Nina said, "right?"

Alphonse nodded. "He'll be fine. He just overworked himself, that's all."


	5. A Circle to Help His Wish

**This one's a bit more Ed-centric…**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, it would be my job to write it.**

"I hope Little Big Brother does well on the test," Nina said to Alphonse, as she and the armored boy sat on the floor of Ed and Al's room and drew pictures. Nearby, Alexander sat watching them, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he panted contentedly.

"Brother will do fine," Alphonse assured her. "He's Ed."

As he tried to draw a tree branch, the brown crayon in his hand snapped in half in his large leather fingers.

"Oops."

He looked across the floor to Nina, apologetically. "I'm sorry, Nina, I broke one of your crayons again!"

"That's okay," she said, smiling. "I have more."

She passed another crayon to Alphonse, and then looked at the bedroom door.

"I wonder where Little Big Brother is, anyway?"

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Edward stood outside in the yard, frowning up at the sky, which was concealed by thick grey clouds that threatened another snowfall. He sighed and trudged a few steps forward, his boots leaving tracks in the snow.

The snow in the courtyard was far from lovely and pristine; due to Ed, Nina, and Al's playing, the snow had become scuffed and dirty. Edward smiled slightly, seeing the snowman Alphonse and Nina had built; the one which was supposed to look like Alphonse but had come out looking like no one in particular. It had been up for a while, and now it was missing its head and one of its arms. Next to it was a patch of ground that Edward knew once had a transmutation circle drawn on it, but it had since worn off. The snow fort they had built a few weeks ago had all but crumbled away.

Vestiges of childhood.

Edward shivered a little in the cold, and pulled the hood of his coat up over his blond hair—something he almost _never_ did. Staring at the imprints and structures made by their playing, Edward realized that, sadly, his childhood was almost over. True, he was only twelve, and so would be treated like a child no matter what he did, but he was about to take that exam. If he passed, he would become a dog of the State, always on a leash and at the military's beck and call. Goodbye, childhood. If he failed…

Edward wasn't entirely sure what he would do if he failed. He figured, though, that were it to come to that, he would look for another way to get the resources necessary to put his brother back in the flesh, and hopefully restore his own arm and leg.

Pass or fail, he would have no time for childish games anymore.

He gritted his teeth when his thoughts turned back to the exam. How in the _heck_ was he going to pass it? He had nothing prepared for the practical skills test…

_I'll think of something,_ he thought, wearily trudging back inside.

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"I should make something for Little Big Brother," Nina mused. "He seems sad lately."

She looked over to Alphonse. "Bigger Brother, what could I make for him?"

"I don't know, Nina," he replied. He was almost done drawing the tree. Half a dozen crayons lay broken in half next to him.

Nina's eyes lit up suddenly, remembering the day it first snowed that winter. "I should make a circle to help his wish!"

Alphonse looked at her, and although it was hard to decipher facial expressions in that immovable metal helmet, it seemed to Nina that he was smiling.

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"Hey, Al, hey Nina," Edward said as he came into the room, a few minutes later. Seeing the papers and crayons strewn across the floor, he smiled slightly. "You guys drawing?"

They both nodded. Alphonse held up the picture of the tree he had drawn. "How does it look, Brother?"

"It looks great, Al," Edward replied, giving his younger brother a thumbs-up. His golden eyes shifted their gaze over to Nina, but whatever it was she was working on, she was hiding behind her back.

"Don't look yet," she warned him. "It's not done."

"Okay, Nina," Edward said with an understanding nod.

Nina and Alphonse exchanged glances, both of them almost giggling about Nina's secret.


	6. Snow Falls Softly

**Thanks Spirit Alchemist for reviewing! You make me happy! :D**

**Okay, I seem to be backpedaling a bit…thus far, these Nina chapters have been roughly in chronological order…kind of…but with this one, I'm flashbacking all the way back to the birthday. Yays!**

**This is actually **_**the **_**first Nina chapter I ever wrote. It's so old...I don't like it as much as my others, but it's got its own charm, I guess…**

**Disclaimer: (grabs Ed) I own Fullmetal Alchemist!**

**Arakawa and Aniplex: No you don't. Give him back right now.**

**Me: Aw, dangit…I guess I don't own him…I'm borrowing him for a bit though! :)**

**Ed: Help….she's kidnapping me…**

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Nina felt her heart swell with joy as she saw tiny baby, crying in Mrs. Hughes's arms.

Nina had felt Elicia move inside Mrs. Hughes's tummy…it had felt funny.

And now, here the baby was, so cute and tiny…had Nina been like that when _she _was born?

As Nina pondered this, she thought of something else.

Baby Elicia had no brothers or sisters to play with her. She might get lonely, like Nina used to be before Ed and Al had come to live with her and her dad.

_I'll be her big sister!_ Nina thought. _I'll carry her around, and sing to her, and when she grows up we'll play together._ _All of us. Me and Big Brothers and Elicia and Alexander, and Daddy and Mommy and Mr. and Mrs. Hughes, and we'll all be happy._

These thoughts crowding one after another inside her head, Nina walked over to the sofa, where Gracia lay holding the baby.

"Can I hold her, Mrs. Hughes?" she asked, her eyes sparkling and never leaving the baby.

Mrs. Hughes smiled and shook her head slowly. "No, Nina. You might drop her."

"Oh." Nina's eyes fell to the floor, her face showing her sad disappointment.

Mrs. Hughes saw the look, and she reached out and patted the top of Nina's head.

"But you can feel her, if you want," she said cheerfully.

Nina lit up at once. "I can?"

Reaching out one small finger, she touched Elicia's cheek. It was so soft and warm…

"Guess what, Elicia?" she said, smiling at the baby the way she figured a big sister would. "I felt you move today, when you were still inside your mommy's tummy!"

Elicia had stopped crying, and her newborn eyes regarded Nina with curiosity.

"You don't have any brothers or sisters, do you? That's okay. I'll be your big sister, I promise. You won't get lonely with me around!"

The baby continued staring at her.

"And we'll all play together and…"

Without warning, Elicia's hand closed around Nina's finger.

The doctor laughed. "I guess the baby's found a friend already!"

Reaching for his coat, he slipped it over his shoulders and waved. "Good luck to you folks, congratulations, and good night."

He left into the winter darkness outside.

Nina stood, transfixed by the hand around her finger; then she raised her other hand and put it over Elicia's. Turning around, she smiled at Alphonse and Edward.

"Big Brothers," she said, "you should come feel her. She's so soft and warm…"

Edward and Alphonse exchanged glances, recalling, with some embarrassment, how they'd reacted earlier when Gracia had asked them if they wanted to feel her belly. This time was different, though. They came forward, and while Alphonse didn't touch, as he couldn't feel anything and feared his armor would be unpleasant for the baby, Edward reached out with his flesh hand and patted the baby gently on the head.

"She's…beautiful," he said, softly. He was in awe. The Herculean task Gracia had performed, to bring such a wonderful, tiny being into the world…

His mother had done the same for him and Al…

Elicia reached out with her free hand and grabbed Edward's pinky.

Major Hughes, tears still rolling down his cheeks because he was so proud, smiled at Edward.

"I think she likes you too, Ed."

Edward, Nina, and Alphonse looked at each other, and then at the baby, feeling warmth in their hearts.

It was such a beautiful moment; they wished it would last forever.

In the darkness outside, the snow fell softly.

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**Okay. I don't really know how I feel about this one. It's kind of old; I hadn't quite grasped certain concepts of description and dialogue…I've fixed it up a little, but it still seems a bit rusty.**


	7. What Nina Found, Part 1

**Hello, it's me again! This section of **_**Nina**_** will actually be in two parts, and I'm hoping for the second part to be a songfic, but we'll see. It's set in that empty space between 6 and 7.**

**This will be the first chapter of anything that I've typed up that I didn't have written down in a notebook first. That's not how I usually work; I'm much more comfortable writing things out and then typing them, because it's easier to make edits and catch things you need to fix when you have to type up something that's already existing in the real world…we'll see how it turns out, won't we?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. I'm just holding Ed hostage and forcing him to do my bidding.**

**Ed: Someone, please help…**

**Another disclaimer: I actually **_**love **_**rain. Rain puts me on a sugar high even when I have no access to sugar. My love of rain doesn't show in this fic though…**

**Anyway, enjoy! :D**

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The rain would not stop pouring down. It battered the roof of Tucker's mansion, and sent small streams of water trickling down the window panes. If anyone was willing to walk outside, the first thing they would have encountered was the squelching of mud beneath their feet.

"Why did it have to rain?" Nina complained as she stared out the window, folding her arms across her chest and pouting. "I was wanting to play outside today."

"Yeah," Alphonse agreed, standing next to her. "But if we went outside, I'd have to dry out my armor afterwards."

He didn't bother adding that drying out his armor was not a fun task.

Edward didn't say anything. He was sitting on the couch, staring off into space and listening to the patter of rain on the roof. He had passed the test, and sometime within the week would receive the pocket watch that was given to all State Alchemists. On the one hand, he was excited—it was certainly a high honor to be the only child to gain such status for his skills—but on the other hand, he was trying desperately not to think about the fact that his carefree days were slipping through his fingers like sand. He was a dog of the military now.

"What should we do?" Nina asked, frowning out at the inclement weather that had ruined her day. "Rain makes it boring."

Alphonse rubbed his helmet in thought. "How about we play a game? Like…hide and go seek!"

Nina looked up at him, her blue eyes wide with puzzlement. "How would you hide, Bigger Brother? You're so big…"

"I'll think of something," Alphonse replied, sounding a little hurt at the little girl's honest assessment. Nina seemed to notice, and she was silent for a moment, thoughtfully. Finally, she lit up, having a solution to his problem.

"You could be 'it'!" she said.

"Okay," he agreed, "but not the whole time. I'd like to try hiding, too."

They looked over to Edward. The blond alchemist's back was turned to them, and he didn't seem to realize he had two pairs of eyes on him. He had been excited right after passing the test, but over the past couple of days he had been so quiet, thinking thoughts they would never know about.

"Little Big Brother," Nina said. "You want to play too?"

Edward jumped slightly when he realized he was being addressed. "Hm?"

"Hide and seek," Nina said. "Do you want to play too?"

Edward sighed and stood up. "Sure. Nothing better to do right now, I guess."

"Bigger Brother's 'it'," Nina said. "but the first person he finds will be it after him."

"Got it," said Edward, smiling slightly.

Alphonse covered his eyes with his hands and turned to face the wall.

"No peeking," Nina reminded him.

"I'm not going to," he said, and began the countdown. "One, two, three…"

Edward and Nina rushed out, neither wanting to be in the same room with Alphonse when he stopped counting.

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A few minutes later, Alphonse found Edward hiding in the coat closet.

"Geez, Al," Edward complained, pushing aside the coats, stepping out into the hallway and dusting himself off. "How did you know?"

"This door was _open_ last I saw it," Alphonse replied, a note of humor in his voice. Edward cursed at his own stupidity.

"Guess I'm 'it' after you find Nina," he said, frowning with annoyance.

"Yeah," said his armored brother. "Then I'll have to hide."

"That will be interesting," said Edward, smiling. "I think I'll go wait in the kitchen until you're done, okay?"

His brother nodded. "Sure, Ed."

Edward walked across the hall into the kitchen, and was surprised to find Nina sitting in the middle of the floor, not at all bothering to conceal herself. Her back was turned to him.

"Nina?" he said, then glanced outside the room. Alphonse was nearby; Edward could hear the clanging metal boots.

"Nina, why aren't you hiding?" he asked, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"The poor thing," she said, in a small, sad voice. Edward walked over and knelt down, peering over the four-year-old's shoulder to see what she was talking about.

On the floor in front of her was a small mouse. It had clearly limped in from the rain; its grey fur was soaked and matted against its skin. One of its back paws was bent in an odd way, as though it had been broken once and had healed wrong. The mouse shivered, and stared up at Nina and Edward, its shiny brown eyes filled with fear.

"It looks cold and hungry," Nina said quietly, reaching out a small hand and gently picking up the mouse. The mouse made no move to resist; merely shivered more.

"Uh, Nina," Edward said. "You may not want to…"

She turned her head and gave him a look that said, "You dummy, I'm trying to do something important here." He felt a small pang, remembering another girl he knew who used to give him that look all the time, before he and Alphonse left Resembool.

"You're going to say 'it has germs,' aren't you?" Nina accused. Edward hung his head. That had been _exactly _what he was going to say. Her expression softened. "That's okay. My dad would say that too…I'll wash my hands, don't worry."

Turning to look back at the mouse, she frowned thoughtfully.

"Little Big Brother," she said, her tone of voice as commanding as she could manage, "go get a small towel. And food."

Edward nodded and stood up, just as Alphonse clanged into the room.

"Found you, Nina," he said triumphantly. "But wait…why weren't you hiding?"

"Bigger Brother," she said in the same bossy tone she'd just used on Edward, "get a bowl of water. And a bottle cap."

"Y-yes, Ma'am," Alphonse said, a bit nervously. He had never seen Nina act like this before.

------------------------------------

Nina gently wrapped the mouse in the towel Edward brought, and set the food—small bits of cheese and ham, and some peas—in front of the mouse. Dipping the bottle cap in the water, she put this in the mouse's view as well. Silently, with great concentration, she picked up the pea and held it up to the mouse. The mouse sniffed the food but made no move.

"He's not eating," she said to herself, frowning. "He's as bad as Bigger Brother."

Just then, Nina's father came into the room. Noticing the three children gathered around, he came over to see what it was they found so interesting. Seeing the mouse, he frowned.

"Nina," he said, a little sternly. "You are aware it has germs, right?"

"Daddy," she replied, "he's not eating…"

Edward had to move aside to allow Shou Tucker room to crouch between him and Nina. Examining the mouse closer, Tucker frowned. The mouse looked up at him, seeming more fearful than it had around Nina, Edward or Alphonse. Sighing, Tucker stood.

"You can look after him until the rain stops," he said, turning to leave, "but after that you have to let him go. Okay?"

"Okay," said Nina, watching sadly as her father left. Looking down at her hand, she realized that the pea was missing from between her fingers; looking at the mouse, she grinned when she saw that it was eating.

"That's a good mouse," she said gently. She stared at it for a long while.

"You need a name…" she mused.

"Charles," Alphonse said immediately.

"Okay," Nina said, smiling. "We'll call him 'Charles'."

They all fell silent, watching as Charles finished eating and looked up at them gratefully.


	8. What Nina Found, Part 2

**Again, thanks Spirit Alchemist for reviewing. You make me happy :)**

**Anywho, this is part 2 of "What Nina Found"…and again, I'm typing it without writing it up first. It's really much better to write things out first…**

**I have decided not to make this a songfic. However, if you want, you can listen to the song "Perfect Day" by Miriam Stockley while you read this. It's a very pretty song, (those of you who watched **_**Peter Rabbit and Friends **_**when you were younger know what I'm talking about), and it's the one I was thinking of using. Not sure why, now that I think about it.**

**A quick question: I try to do my best when it comes to grammar and the like, but I was wondering: How do you say "something-year-old"? Should it be hyphenated, ("twelve-year-old") or no ("twelve year old")? I honestly don't know, so I'd like someone's insight on that…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. 'Nuff said.**

**---------------------------------------------------------------**

Their hide and go seek game forgotten for now, Edward, Alphonse and Nina instead dedicated their efforts to making sure Charles was comfortable and was eating properly. They had moved the mouse into Nina's room where they could keep a better eye on him.

Around mid-afternoon, Edward, realizing he could no longer hear the patter of rain, rose to his feet and walked over to the window. The sky was still dark with clouds, but the clouds had broken up some, allowing beams of sunlight through. On a whim, Edward threw the window open, and smiled slightly, feeling a gentle breeze on his face.

"Hey, it's stopped raining," he said to Alphonse and Nina, turning around. Charles seemed to have noticed as well; he had left the security of the towel and grabbed a large chunk of cheese that Edward had set out, and was now scurrying around the room, carrying the cheese in his mouth.

Eventually he ran under the desk. Edward knelt down, his golden eyes searching for the mouse.

"There you are," he said, smiling and gently lifting the trembling mouse in his left hand. "I know, you want to go back outside, right?"

Charles curled into a ball in the twelve-year-old's palm. Edward smiled gently.

"Come on," he said, turning to walk out of the room. Nina grabbed his arm.

"What about his leg?" she pointed out.

Edward looked at her, and then at the small mammal he was holding, and especially at Charles's bent paw.

"Okay…" he frowned in thought. Finally, he looked sadly at the four-year-old. "I don't know enough about mice; if I tried to fix his foot with alchemy, I'd probably make it worse. I think all we can do is just set him loose, and hope for the best."

Nina frowned. "That's so sad…"

With Edward in the lead, the three children made their way down to the courtyard. Walking out to the center of the courtyard, Edward knelt on one knee and gently set Charles down on the grass.

Charles stood still for a moment, his small ears and nose twitching and the piece of cheese still in his mouth, and then he scurried over to a hole in the side of the house. Following him, the three children bent over the hole to find Charles sharing the cheese with five or six smaller mice, some so small they hadn't even grown fur yet.

"Charles has babies," said Nina, thoughtfully. "I guess Charles is a girl, then…"

Charles stared up at them, as if simultaneously thanking them for helping her and scolding them for prying on her private life. Edward, Alphonse and Nina exchanged glances, and then without warning the three of them started giggling.

When their giggle fit was over two minutes later, Alphonse spoke.

"I didn't get to hide."

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Edward was "it". He had counted to ten, and was now searching for Alphonse and Nina.

He found Nina hiding in the bathtub.

"How did you find me, Little Big Brother?" she asked, wide eyed, as she stood up. Edward lifted her out of the tub and looked her straight in the eye.

"Bathroom door was _closed,_ last I checked," he said very seriously.

Nina giggled, as the blond alchemist set her down on the floor. "Oops, I forgot!"

-----------------------------------------------------------

Five hours later, Alphonse came up to them.

"You guys never found me!" he said, sounding very proud of himself. Edward grinned nervously. He and Nina had searched everywhere they could think of, and had eventually given up finding him.

"Yeah, Al," he said, "how did you hide yourself so well?"

"Can't tell," Alphonse teased, "it's a secret!"

The three looked out the window, noting that it was beginning to grow dark with the coming evening. Exchanging glanced, they grinned. It had been a perfect day.

**Yays! Too cute. I'm not too sure about this story, though…it bugs me a bit…please tell me what you thought, okay?**


	9. Sorry!

**Hello! Here I am again with another Nina installment! Due to homework, lack of sleep, and the silence of my muse, I have been unable to post for the last few days.**

**I am thinking that, after today, I will only post on weekends, because hanging around takes away time from both writing stories and doing homework. The only reason I've been able to post as many as I have over the course of a week is because most of them are ones I've had stored up over the past couple years.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. If I owned it…hmm…I don't own **_**Sorry! **_**either.**

"Ha! I win!" cried Edward gleefully, as he slammed his last red pawn down on the Home space.

Edward and Nina were in the living room, each of them sitting on the floor on opposite sides of the coffee table. Between them on the table's surface lay a colorful game board. All of Edward's pieces were in the Home space, but one of Nina's blue pawns was still at Start, and of the three that weren't, only one had made it home. Nina folded her arms across her chest and pouted at the twelve year old sitting across from her.

"Little Big Brother," she said, "that's no fair. You always win!"

Edward grinned widely and leaned against the sofa behind him. "It's because I am a genius!"

"You haven't been cheating, have you, Brother?" Alphonse asked, clanging his way into the living room.

"I wouldn't cheat against a little girl," Edward replied, frowning at his brother who dared accuse him of such a thing.

"I don't know, Brother," Alphonse said, stroking his chin in thought. "Last I checked, _Sorry!_ is a game of pure luck, so to have a big winning streak is kinda…"

"I'm. Not. Cheating." Edward said, sounding really annoyed.

Alexander, who had been sitting on the sofa the entire time, suddenly leaped over Edward and onto the coffee table, sending the board game and all the pawns and cards flying every which way.

"Alexander!" Nina scolded. The big white dog ignored her, and began scratching his ear with his hind leg, before jumping off the table and running out of the room. He came back, carrying a leash in his mouth, then walked across the living room and sat in front of the door.

"Alexander wants to go for a walk," Nina said.

Edward rose to his feet. Winning _Sorry _fifteen times in a row had become boring, and—he selfishly thought, as he observed the scattered cards and pawns all over the table and floor—he really did not want to have to clean the mess up. Besides, he needed some time to himself.

"I'll do it," he said, walking over to the big white dog and taking the leash from him. "Al, you play with Nina, okay?"

Alphonse nodded, and walked over to sit heavily on the couch.

Fastening the leash to Alexander's collar, Edward took the other end in his hand and waved to Alphonse and Nina. "I'll be back in a bit."

He turned back to the door and grabbed the handle. However, he did not turn it, but instead stared at the polished wood of the door that was mere inches in front of his face.

"Al, Nina," he said, not turning around to look at them. "Tomorrow I get my pocket watch. You know what that means, right?"

"You'll be official then," Alphonse replied, helping Nina to gather up the pieces of the game. "A real State Alchemist."

He looked up at his brother, but the older Elric's back was still turned.

"I'm proud of you, Brother. You've made it where no one else could."

Edward nodded, despite himself, and, gripping the doorknob tighter, he turned it, pulling the door open. He tugged the leash, but Alexander was already ahead of him, and Edward nearly lost his balance as the large dog practically dragged him outside. Regaining his footing, Edward reached behind him and closed the door.

Alphonse and Nina, hands full of pawns and cards, stared at the door for a few minutes, before turning back to the mess they were cleaning up.

"Bigger Brother," she said, "will you play _Sorry_ with me?"

-----

Edward was hardly walking the dog; it was more like the dog was walking _him._ Alexander dragged him all the way up the sidewalk, past several houses and fences, and then turned a corner, Edward hard-pressed to keep up with him. Then, the dog suddenly paused, sitting and staring ahead of him, and calmly sniffing the air.

Glad the dog had stopped for the moment, Edward sighed and stared down at his clenched right fist.

_Tomorrow._

The word was exciting; and at the same time, ominous. Exciting, because tomorrow he would have actual proof of his achievement.

Ominous, because that achievement was bound to get him in trouble someday. As the dog stood up and began walking again, this time at a thankfully slower pace, Edward paused to think of all the new titles and statuses he'd attained.

_State Alchemist._ Yes, that had a nice ring to it. It sounded important and professional, as though he was going somewhere with his alchemy he had never dreamed of going before. As though his skills had suddenly become more important.

_Soldier._ He didn't like that title so much. "Soldier" had with it connotations of war, and blood, and fighting and killing and dying. Along with it came the image of battered and bruised men, returning from the battlefield as hollow shells of themselves, forever to suffer nightmares from all the horrors they had seen. If they returned at all, that is.

It carried with it the image of Winry, crying over a letter telling her and her grandmother that her parents had been killed.

_Adult._ Okay, still twelve. Still a kid; not even a teenager yet, and wouldn't be one for several months yet. But normally a _kid _wouldn't be in the military; wouldn't be able to obtain a certification of any kind. It had been miraculous that he had made it this far.

And also, he shuddered to think, his new profession might just make him have to grow up a bit quicker than he would like.

_Dog of the military._ This was the one he liked least of all. It sounded so degrading, as though he were some animal. As though he were soulless; had given up all claims to humanity just so he could be the military's stooge. Chances were, he would be looked down upon, and the people who looked down on him would use this particular, insulting name.

_And what about that name the king gives you…_

Edward knew that State Alchemists all got a unique second name, depending on their alchemic skills. After all, Lt. Colonel Sarcasm, as he liked to think of Roy, was the "Flame" Alchemist, and Shou Tucker was the "Sewing Life Alchemist". He wondered what his name would be. Would it fit him, or would he have to grow into it, or would he find it an embarrassment and never be able to live it down?

_It'd better be good,_ he thought to himself, tugging the leash so Alexander would follow him back to the house.

----

Edward and Alexander came back into the house to find Alphonse and Nina staring at the _Sorry _game board. Alphonse was scratching his helmet nervously, and Nina was curling one of her brown braids around on one finger.

Judging from their expressions, and the fact that neither moved for the few moments he stared at them, he could tell that something had happened while he was gone.

"Hey," he said, kneeling down to unfasten Alexander's leash. "How did it go, you guys?"

"I just don't understand…" Alphonse said, staring at the board in disbelief. "It's like the cards are hexed or something."

"Bigger Brother kept beating me," Nina said, sadly. She hadn't won a single game all day. "He kept bumping my pieces back to Start."

Alphonse and Edward exchanged glances. Finally, Edward walked over and knelt down next to Nina.

"How about we do something else," he offered, as he and Alphonse began gathering up the pieces and putting the game back in its box.

"Okay!" Nina sounded thrilled at the prospect of doing something other than constantly losing.

**Yep. Had to post this. I think my "Nina" well is starting to run a bit dry; you can only write so much fluff, after all. Also this one doesn't seem to be as warm and fuzzy as my other ones were..poor Nina! :( **

**Thank you, whichever reviewer who told me to put Alexander in there! :D**

**If anyone has any ideas for this, could you please tell me? I may or may not be able to write it, depending on how well my "Fluffmeter" is doing, but I'll keep all advice and ideas in consideration.**


	10. Al's Secret

**Something I'm sure y'all were wondering about. :D**

**Disclaimer: Don't own FMA. If I did, that would make me awesome?**

**-----**

Patience.

Patience is a virtue, one that Alphonse Elric is well-familiar with. It is one he has had to practice, every day, every night, ever since that day long ago. He has always had to be patient, waiting for the crack of dawn, waiting for his older brother to awaken so they can start a new day. Except that it's not a new day for Alphonse. He does not sleep, so time passes differently for him. To him, a week is like one continuous, never-ending day.

He is used to waiting for a long, long time.

Several hours standing and waiting to see if Edward and Nina can find him is nothing.

Patience.

He is in the coat closet, behind the coats. It is a large closet, but not a very tall one. He has taken off his helmet, and has it tucked under one arm. He is also crouching slightly. The coats are pushed out a little due to his bulk, but hopefully no one will look close enough to notice.

The closet door is wide open. It was wide open when he found it, and he has left it that way on purpose. He wonders if his brother will figure it out.

He wants to laugh when Edward and Nina walk right by, calling his name.

"Al? I know you're around here somewhere," he hears Edward say. He sounds irritated, as he should be.

There's no way Alphonse should be able to stay hidden so long.

"Little Big Brother," Nina asks, "do you suppose Bigger Brother's in the closet?"

Alphonse freezes. If they look in here, it's over.

Edward frowns at the closet.

"Al wouldn't be stupid enough to hide in the exact same spot I did last time," he says. Alphonse finds himself wanting to chuckle again. Silly, silly Ed…

Two hours later, all is silent. Edward and Nina have given up on finding him.

As he steps out of the closet, he puts his head back on and practically skips down the hallway.

Patience won out.

He has triumphed.

-----

**Okay. Bit short, but it was fun to write. :D**


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